


starlight

by alovelyvixen



Series: NCT Queer Month (2k19) [7]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Boyfriends, Day At The Beach, Established Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Mermaids, Sweet Mark Lee (NCT), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, he's ariel basically, it is vital that you know donghyuck has red hair, it's just a lil fight, markhyuck, mermaid donghyuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 12:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19376824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alovelyvixen/pseuds/alovelyvixen
Summary: mark loves donghyuck. he just gets a little worried when he wants to take trips to the beach to swim in the sea.





	starlight

**Author's Note:**

> happy pride month! :)

Currently, the two were having a water session in the pool, as per Mark’s request. It looked like Donghyuck was feeling a bit down lately. You know what always made him feel better? Water. It was more than just diving into the pool and then having Mark carry him to sit in the bath to keep his mermaid side healthy; It was the ripples of water off his scales, the cool temperature, the feeling of the water giving him one big hug. Mark hopped out to grab a drink of juice when Donghyuck swam up to the edge. He rested his elbows on the poolside, his head on top.

 

 

“What’s wrong?” The older kneeled down.

 

 

“I feel a little homesick,” Donghyuck sighed. “Our pool can only hold me down for a while.” It was nice in the pool and all, but the ocean had such a signature to it, that couldn’t be beat by a chlorine substitute.

 

 

Mark didn’t like taking him down to the ocean. The ocean was a big, scary place for humans, so imagine how it was for the creatures that lived there? Donghyuck’s favourite place to go was, coincidentally, his least favourite place to take him. Sending his significant other out there to roam freely and swim to his heart’s content was a terrifying thought. As beautiful as he looked in his mermaid form, he wanted to keep him in the pool.

 

 

“I just wanna go for a bit.. Please,” He looked up at him, his tail swaying in the water. The sun and the water were making the blue scales glitter beautifully in contrast to his wet red locks. It was kind of funny, how his tail made him taller than he actually was.

 

 

Saying that he was immediately persuaded was an understatement. He was so easily influenced by the simple look of his eyes, every single time. “Let’s get going, then. I want to catch the low tide before night. The winds are supposed to pick up later this evening.” It had become a habit for Mark to check the weather patterns in case they would go into the backyard for a random swim, to prevent mishaps, or simply a bad experience for his boyfriend.

 

 

He watched Donghyuck swim to the ladder, focusing on his tail transforming into two legs somewhere amongst the ripples of water. That would always be a mystery to him, no matter how much he stared and tried to figure it out. It’s not like he could just show him, either; The rippling of the water and the waves of the water are what made him able to shift forms.

 

 

The drive there was short. They had originally sought out the house, with the drive to the beach in mind - or, at least Donghyuck did. The pool was Mark’s line of sight, for him. Both water - related ideas sold them on renting the house. They arrived, and Mark had to do his best to hold him back from just diving headfirst into the water and swimming far away.

 

 

“Donghyuck, try not to get lost,” Mark held a firm grip around his waist with his arm and was securing the smart watch around his wrist. “If you get lost, you know how to use the GPS, and if you’re in danger, call me, and swim as fast as you can, and if you’re hurt, _please_  call me.”

 

 

“I know, I know, Mark,” He swatted at his hands and tried his best to make his escape.

 

 

“Please just be with me for a while,” His boyfriend was worried. In response, and as a slight medium, he sighed and dragged him along into the water. Donghyuck was swimming in circles around Mark, sometimes flipping onto his stomach to feel the water on his face a little bit. Mark looked down at him, and ruffled his hair. It was obvious that he was looking a little brighter and feeling better.

 

 

Suddenly, he swam on his back, his legs kicking up through the water. Donghyuck prodded Mark’s side as he looked at a bunch of kids screaming bloody murder at the cold water. Before he could say anything, he kicked his legs out and submerged himself under the water.

 

 

“Donghyuck!” He gasped and lunged into the water. His fingers grazed his tail, one catching onto a scale. While he held the scale in his hand, he sighed and looked out into the water, knowing that he was already pretty far from the shore.

 

 

-

 

 

The scale being taken off of his tail was like a hair being plucked from his head. With this sudden rush of happiness, he certainly couldn’t feel a thing. He dove along where the shore descended to the bottom, feeling the sand tickle his skin and run through the divots in his tail that were his scales. It was his favourite thing to rest against the bottom of the sea floor and relax, especially when a stingray would unearth itself and give him a small ride as it tried to escape.

 

 

It may just be the fact that he was missing this feeling, but the coral reefs were looking especially nice today. Since Mark was most likely upset with him, he felt inclined to enjoy it to the fullest before he had to go and deal with him.

 

 

Donghyuck dashed about the water, sometimes swirling up dead sand dollars. Each time one caught his eye, he would go back, and bury it back in the sand with a small apology for disturbing its final resting place. Seeing sand dollars made him sad, sometimes.

 

 

He swam a little higher to avoid that, and let the sea animals follow his stream. There would be much more if he went farther out. If he went farther out, he was sure that Mark would call him and tell him to come back. Sucks that these watches had tracking. For now, he settled for the fish, and the occasional octopus or seahorse that happened to be this close to the shore, even if they were so deep. He perched himself up on a rock and let some floor - dwelling creatures dance upon him like he was apart of the rock.

 

 

Leaving the ocean for love was always worth it, since he could come back, but he didn’t like upsetting Mark. He knew that he was just worried for him, but it made him torn. Mark would never keep him away from the crisp ocean waters forever, though.

 

 

After a while longer of simply swimming, he ascended back up the shoreline to roughly the same area he came down. He looked around for Mark, and ran out of the water over to where he was.

 

 

“God, Donghyuck, you couldn’t have at least warned me.” Mark beat him to making eye contact before he could surprise him.

 

 

“You would have had me sit there forever if it was up to you.” The mermaid huffed.

 

 

“Does it hurt?” He looked at his leg, where there was a little cut. The same area where the missing scale was located.

 

 

“No, I didn’t feel anything, because I was too busy, having fun,” Donghyuck sat up to pack up their things. It was obvious that they would be leaving as soon as he was done in the water, because Mark was tired - physically and mentally. “I only got hurt once, and I wonder why..”

 

 

“I’m just worried about you out there! And don’t tell me I watch too much Discovery Channel, because it’s the same as going out into the real world. You going under and potentially getting ripped to shreds by a shark is the same as me going outside and potentially getting stabbed to death by a stranger.”

 

 

“Mark!” He gasped and pushed him. “Stop thinking like that, it’s awful. No wonder you don’t want me to go under. That kind of thinking would make me stop you every time you walked out the door.” And with that, he was storming off to the car with their bag in his hand.

 

 

“Donghyuck, come back,” Mark quickly gathered up the towel and ran after him. He was just running to the car, but he was still wanting to make sure he was okay. How stupid of him, when he had just made him happy after a period of being below the weather.

 

 

They both got into the car. Donghyuck was sat in the passenger’s seat, sighing deeply. It wasn’t hard to make him upset when it came to the ocean. On the rare occasions that they would fight, it was almost always over this sort of thing. Mark knew not to bother him in this situation no matter what. Donghyuck’s mermaid affairs were not to be debated on.

 

 

-

 

 

As soon as they got home, they split ways. Donghyuck was lying at the bottom of the pool to avoid Mark, and Mark was doing the normal cleaning and cooking. He felt bad for upsetting him, but he couldn’t help but be worried. It was just natural that he didn’t want him to get killed out there. The world was a clusterfuck, whether or not it was on land or underwater.

 

 

He was done preparing dinner, which was to be cooked on the grill outside. Donghyuck was fast asleep at the bottom of the pool, so he wouldn’t notice him. It was just nice to be in his presence while he grilled their burgers.

 

 

Mark finished the burgers and went over to the small box of pool toys. He pulled out the sinking toys, that he bought specifically for when he would fall asleep at the bottom of the pool. One was dropped until it hit his cheek. Donghyuck shifted and looked up. The other backed up and waited for him to rise to the top.

 

 

“What do you want?”

 

 

“Dinner’s ready. And,” He turned around to pick up the first aid kit that he had rested on one of the outside chairs. “I need to fix your scale before it gets infected.” It was brought back to his attention when he went to empty his pockets, and it fell out amongst the other items.

 

 

Donghyuck swam up to the pool ladder and sat up on the edge indifferently. Mark smiled at his victory, grabbed the burgers he made for the other and sat at the edge with him. “Where’s the cut?”

 

  
He pointed to an area next to where his knee would be. Mark tried his best to lean over and treat it without falling into the pool. The burgers were taken while he wasn’t looking. It was a well known quirk of his that swimming in the ocean always made him hungry. Upon looking at the grill, he prepared well for that. Thoughtful, as always. It only stung a little bit. He feigned feeling anything by wantonly waving his tail in the water.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” Mark rubbed a tiny bit of non - bacterial cream in. “I love you a lot. And you’re so special to me. I don’t want to lose you, especially to some dumb sea creature.”

 

 

“Watch your mouth.”

 

 

“You know what I mean. I didn’t mean it like that,” The mean remarks about the place that Donghyuck loved most were only coming from a place of fear. “I just.. I love you. I’d hate to see you in a bad situation just as much as you would me.”

 

 

The mermaid sat there and finished his burgers - wanting more, obviously - before setting the plate down. “Have you eaten yet?”

 

 

Mark wasn’t expecting his apology to be accepted right away. “Yeah, while I was grilling your millions of other patties- Hey!”

 

 

He had taken his tail and scooped up water before dumping it on Mark. “You haven’t taken a shower yet, relax.” Still smelled like the ocean water, which was kind of making him even more attractive right now. “That’s what you get.”

 

 

“I don’t deserve all of this-”

 

 

Donghyuck pushed him into the pool and dove in to make sure he didn’t hit the bottom. “You do. So be quiet and take it,” He chuckled once he resurfaced and recovered from the surprise attack. To accompany that, he pulled him in close for a kiss that tasted like a pure beach cliche.

 

 

♡

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm Marcie! If you want to follow me / talk to me / stalk me / roleplay (i rp bts and nct pls rp with me lmao) my twitter is [here](https://twitter.com/froggiebubu) , my curiouscat (to leave me feedback and suggestions) is [here](https://curiouscat.me/femmeyong) , and my kakaotalk is marciexbam! :)
> 
> Enjoy my works! x


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